Nerima, One Year Later
by Sang'gre Habagat
Summary: Ranma and Akane are finally married, and the other fiancées are in despair. Will Ukyo ever find a replacement for Ranma? Where has Shampoo gone? Ryoga  is he just lost again? And an heir to the Tendo Dojo? Read on and find out! Please R&R!


**Habagat: **Hey, everyone and welcome to my first ever published Ranma½ fanfiction! Yay! Read on and enjoy...

**Ranma:** Great. I expect more trouble from Akane in this one.

**Akane:** (suddenly materializes) What did you say..?

**Ranma:** Er, nothing, nothing.

**Habagat: **(sighs) Lol. I don't own Ranma½ or any of its characters. Rumiko Takahashi does, and I don't want to steal. Lol. Also, I'd love a little review, so please drop one after you read! I might only update this if I get more reviews, you know.XD

**Nerima, One Year Later**  
By Sang'gre Habagat

**Chapter 1: Why, Ranma?**

The air in Nerima seemed bleak. This particular day's sky completely blocked the sun's light from reaching the suburbs, and the clouds loomed overhead, ever disheartening to the ordinary passerby, spelling certain downpour. Everything was colored in shades of gray, the flowers, grass, and even the commuters' clothes seemed to be sporting just one color: gray. Nonetheless, the weather seemed to mock the events that would follow this day, and despite the glumness of the town's surroundings, the Tendo Dojo was still in its usual state that day, Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo quarreling over minute matters. This time it was over a case of stolen underwear.

"You pervert!" Akane screamed, lunging at the superiorly agile Ranma. "You're saying that you didn't steal these, but how could you explain that those panties were in your dresser drawer!"

"How do _you_ know that that ugly old Happosai didn't do it?" complained Ranma. "Anyway, why would I steal an uncute tomboy's underwear, even if she was my _wife_?"

"You, IDIOT!" the dark-haired girl screamed, producing a mallet from thin air and bashing the unguarded Ranma straight on his head.

Ranma just remained seated, rubbing his newly-stricken temple. "What'd you do that for?"

"Humph." The lass retreated back upstairs into her room, still clutching the misplaced lingerie in her grasp. Still with her face scrunched up in a menacing pout, she slammed her door, locking it from the inside.

Ranma sighed. _Does it always have to be like this?_ He slumped down onto a seat and turned the television set on.

Beneath the monochromatic state of Nerima, people still went on with their everyday lives. Some people shopped, some people walked around, some even went to the town square, but the day was still as dreary as never before, and the streets seemed to carry a smaller population. Along with the few odd people who took a chance in walking today was Ukyou Kuonji. Still carrying her trademark massive spatula, the lass continued her saunter around town. But still, the day seemed dull and dreary, despite all the efforts she made to cheer herself up. Ever since Ranma and Akane married, the okonomiyaki dealer kept to herself in her restaurant, tending only to her customers, which have also, just like the weather, turned dull and have slowly stopped coming.

"Well, that's life," She sighed, forcing a small grin onto the somewhat strong features of her face.

Though she seemed to be smiling, it did not necessarily reflect what she really felt.

It seemed for her that her existence had lost its very meaning when Ranma was suddenly out of reach to her. It had just been two months ago. Why couldn't she have stopped the marriage? She could have defeated Akane any old time, but it was too late now, and all she could do is stare at the gray sky, somehow waiting for an answer to her problems.

Then it struck her; a sudden jolt of inspiration shook her spine.

_Yes, Ranma isn't the only one I could love, is he? _She thought, at the same time remembering someone she left in her shop. "I'm making a fresh start!"

Ukyou then walked with more of a spring in her step as she turned around and walked back to the okonomiyaki shop, positively beaming.

Meanwhile, in another division of the small district west of Japan's capital, another girl moped around in a corner of the town square. She clutched a piece of lavender stationery and a pen in one hand, while twirling her long, purple hair in the fingers of the other in a depressed, melancholy manner. The girl sat at a bench and stared at the ground. She removed the pen's cover, put the tip to the paper, her hand trembling. A pigeon landed on the seat next to her and cocked its head in a kindly manner towards the girl, as if asking what was wrong. She stared at the bird, and over come with anger and despondency, cursed loudly, causing the feathered creature to take flight.

She sighed. _Why can't Shampoo stop thinking of Airen?_ She resumed writing on the piece of paper, still stricken by some sort of ailment, though the lass knew she was in good health. _Why did Ranma have to marry that hideous wench, anyway?_

The Chinese girl was crushed when she learned about the wedlock. She knew it. She was tricked, cheated! It was pretty ingenious, come to think of it, sending her a fake note that she was being summoned by her tribe to return to China. They knew that she would never turn her back from her clan, but she was fooled, anyway, and there was nothing she could do anymore.

She then finished her message, stood up, and turned back to the Nekohanten, where her grandmother would be expecting her. Just then, it started to rain.

Ranma continued his television watching, with a matching bowl of popcorn. He reminisced deeply, not really minding the cheesy drama on the television set. Well, it had always been like this, even since when they first found out that they were betrothed. Wasn't she being a bit immature today? She somehow had managed to control her mood swings for the past months since they were married.

_Was there something wrong?_

Little did Ranma know, that his wife was just watching him from the staircase. Nothing was wrong with that, really, no big revelation on the latter's part; but the thing was that Akane was standing there, tears forming in her eyes. How could her husband be so insensitive? Had he no understanding at all?

The downpour outside steadied to a deafening din. The dull, dreary heavens have finally given way to the long overdue damp day. Akane stirred herself up. She had to tell Ranma.

"Ranma," she uttered, still trying to hide herself.

"Anything wrong?" her husband replied, without facing her.

"Ranma, I have to tell you something."

"Come on, I don't have all day,"

"Can you please just listen to me properly for once?" Akane raised her voice. To her disbelief, Ranma turned around and faced her.

"Okay, I'm listening," he said, shutting the television off.

There was an awkward sort of pause, Akane staring at the ground, Ranma gazing into his wife's eyes.

"Ranma, I'm… I'm pregnant."

"Really?" Ranma stood up and paced the room. _P-pregnant? That means… Yes! Finally! _"Really?" he repeated to himself.

"Well... yes,"

Ranma, suddenly overcome with excitement rushed out onto the rain. "I'm going to be a father!" he exclaimed.

Only it sounded quite the oddity at the moment, as Ranma had been drenched by the downpour, and as the Jusenkyo curse dictates, turned into his female version. "Akane, get the hot water!"

The next few months were filled with great anticipation. The couple summoned their kin the day later to commemorate their first child. Ranma was secretly hoping it would be a boy, so that he could continue in the footsteps of his father and inherit the School of Anything-goes Martial Arts and Akane seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"Wow, Akane, aren't you lucky!" Kasumi Ono told her sister at the party. "Tofu and I have been married for a year now, and we still don't have a child. How lucky, indeed!"

"Well…" Akane said bashfully. She never dreamed that she would actually marry, let alone bear a child.

"Hmm, well, I don't think you'll be all that lucky," Nabiki, Akane's next sister said. "With another child, Ranma will have to work harder, having to feed one more mouth. Money isn't that easy to come by these days."

"Of course," Akane had to agree. When it comes to financial matters, the middle Tendo sister was the expert.

"Ah, it would be such joy to see another heir to the Dojo grow up!" Soun, Akane's father cried, tears streaming down his hard features.

"I agree," said a wooden sign held up by a giant panda.

After the gathering, the couple decided to have a stress-free week together at the Saotome household, and Ranma agreed to temporarily close the dojo to his students so that he could spend more time together with Akane. Yet… something else troubled him. It was a vague sort of something that one couldn't explain properly in words, or even appropriately picture in one's mind. Ranma had to set this particular feeling aside for now; he had to spend more time for Akane.

The day afterwards, Ranma noticed a piece of pink paper on the doorstep. He picked the stationery up from the doormat, looking at the scrawl on the envelope. Judging by the untidy writing and the grammar, Ranma immediately knew the author of this particular message, so he opened the seal and began to read.

"Dear Airen," Ranma scanned the pink stationery. "You have decided to live with ugly girl. I hope you find decision wrong. In the meantime, Shampoo will go back to China and will train harder and hope that strong Shampoo will please Airen. If you will find me, I will be in Jusenkyo. In meanwhile, Mousse and great-grandmother will stay in Nekohanten. Love, Shampoo."

"Any problem, Ranma?" Akane came in, holding two cups of hot tea and handing one to her husband.

"Nothing. Shampoo just left a note and said that she's going back to China."

"That's too bad," Akane said with a hint of sincerity, but Ranma could tell that his wife was feeling a bit elated that one of her former rivals had left for good. "She should have stayed. Did she say that the Nekohanten would close? They're doing very good business now that it's started raining."

"No," Ranma replied. "I guess the old hag – I mean Cologne would be staying. Mousse would stay, too. Says so right here."

Over the next months, Ranma made sure to treat his wife better, quite shaken by one of his former fiancée's flight. This nature of his wasn't that obvious before, but he had a sort of courteous side to him, too. Nothing would stop him from taking care of his wife and son.

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**Habagat:** Well there you have it, folks!

**Ranma: **That was a bit unexpected...

**Akane: **Tell me about it. Psshh. Ranma, sensitive? Oh, please.

**Ranma: **Say that again, tomboy, and P-Chan's out of the window tonight!

**Akane: **You won't dare, Ranma!

(sparring begins)

**Habagat: **(sighs) again Haha. When will they ever learn? 'Til next chapter!


End file.
